This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Wigan Athletic have had a loan enquiry rejected by Preston North End for Ched Evans, according to yesterday's Patreon report from journalist Alan Nixon.

The Welshman was a semi-regular figure for the Lilywhites last term, recording two goals and two assists in 23 league appearances and looks set to play a limited role once again this season despite the departure of Cameron Archer.

Troy Parrott has arrived this summer with North End also keen on recruiting another forward - and that could limit Evans' game time further during the 2022/23 campaign as he made a small cameo against the Latics on the opening day of this term before getting himself sent off.

 

 

Wigan are currently on the prowl for a striker with Nathan Broadhead on their radar as well - and it remains to be seen whether they will pursue a fresh move for Preston's Evans after being rejected in their attempt to take him to the DW Stadium.

Looking at this potential deal from Leam Richardson's side's perspective, would this potential deal be a good one for them if it materialises?

We asked three of our writers at Football League World to give their opinions on this subject.

Josh Cole

Although Wigan may need to bolster their attacking options between now and the end of the transfer window, they ought to avoid making a move for Evans.

During the previous campaign, the forward missed a considerable amount of action due to injury.

When he was fit enough to feature, he only illustrated glimpses of his ability as he scored twice in 23 appearances.

With there being no guarantee that Evans will be able to maintain his fitness and improve his consistency over the course of the current term, Wigan shouldn’t be looking to seal a deal for the Preston man.

Marcus Ally

This would be a fairly underwhelming signing, and it is hard to justify being reliant on someone of Evans’ quality in the Championship anymore.

In Callum Lang, Will Keane, Stephen Humphrys and Josh Magennis, you could argue that the Latics already have four forwards of greater capabilities than Evans, and it would be a surprising addition.

Evans does offer quite a lot off the ball, but his physicality is not as strong as that of Magennis, if that is how Leam Richardson wants to operate in the final third.

At 33, Evans’ career is on the way down and having scored just seven goals in 45 appearances for Preston since arriving in January 2021, it is questionable whether he has earned another second-tier move.

They could make it work, but this signing would not generate a lot of excitement at the DW Stadium.

Adam Jones

This wouldn't be the worst signing in the world and it would certainly give Richardson the option to play two up top.

Showing real goalscoring prowess at Fleetwood, he has been unable to provide that over a whole season at Deepdale - but he's someone who knows where the back of the net is and that will be valuable.

At 33 though, you just feel the Latics should be looking at longer-term options, even if they have to take a chance on someone who doesn't have a huge amount of second-tier experience.

In fairness, they may be able to negotiate a decent deal for the Welshman because he isn't likely to be sold on for a huge amount now, especially considering his age and the fact he isn't one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Considering his lack of goals last term, it would be a bit of a gamble to take a chance on Evans but it may be one worth taking if others including Callum Lang and Will Keane can step up to the plate once again this season.

They will need to play to his strengths if they want to have the best chance of seeing him get back into the scoring form he was previously in at Sheffield United and Fleetwood.